


adonis

by homodotus



Series: a study of love [1]
Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alcohol, Eventual Smut, M/M, Smoking, explicit - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 07:28:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23847448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homodotus/pseuds/homodotus
Summary: the thing about love is that it's different for everyone: it can pleasure us, or break us; it can appear suddenly, or cost you your years; it can lift us up, or tear us down.for jason and zack, it hit them like a goddamn truck - but that isn't a bad thing; a surprising rendezvous in the dark transcends a simple fling when you find yourself falling in love.
Relationships: Jason Lee Scott & Zack Taylor
Series: a study of love [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718419
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	adonis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iiCaptain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iiCaptain/gifts).



> hey guys, hope quarantine is treating you well.  
> this is my second fic and it's part of a series: a study of love, inspired by something personal. the relationship between zack and jason represents the passion, intimacy and immediency of love, whereas it's counterbalenced by the patience, vulnerability and sensitivity, and unspoken support of trini and kim's relationship [the other fic in the series]. overall it's about different kinds of change, and how in the end, they can be for the better.

_His hand finds Kim’s, and he leans forward to plant a small kiss on her head. Jason watches Kim turn to Trini; there’s a warm fondness in Kimberly’s eyes, Jason notices; it always had been reserved for the smaller girl. So he runs a tender thumb over Kim’s knuckles, and takes back his hand, swallowing hard._

_“I’ll see you soon Kim.”_

The engine's rumble echoes throughout the empty desert, and Angel Grove twinkles in the rear-view mirror; from a distance, in the dark, it looks beautiful, he thinks. There's sweat beneath his grip, it makes the wheel sticky; with every deep breath he wipes his palms against his jacket roughly. A gentle breeze tickles his cheeks as he rolls down the window, and he pulls out a packet of cigarettes from beneath the stereo. He holds one gently between his lips, lets go of the wheel for a moment to light it; his throat bobs beneath his stubble as he inhales, smoke filling up his lungs and the taste of nicotine dancing on his tongue. The rush is mild but sudden, as he grips the wheel with a hand again and lets himself push his foot harder against the pedal.

To his surprise, Jason thinks more about his loneliness than of Kim: he craves to love, craves to be loved, romanticises being with someone he compliments. He knew enough to see that Kim's heart was with Trini - perhaps he even realised sooner than she did herself. He gently smiles at the thought, though it was bittersweet.

The cigarette warms his chest, and he watches the smoke leave his lips before it's pulled out of the window; the truck smells of tobacco and petrol. It burns slowly, and Jason runs a hand through his hair as his phone vibrates on the seat beside him:

_kimbo @ rainbow$quad: 9:43pm_

_ts awake. just sent her for a bath xx_

Jason sighs; he's happy Kim's there with her, that they have each other; it'll be good for them, they deserve it. _Keep each other safe, okay?_ he types, taking a drag of the cigarette. Jason tosses the phone to the back seat, and slips the cigarette between his fingers. The road in front of him disappears into the darkness, the setting sun makes the mountains burn a deep red in the horizon.

There's a sudden, deep bang from atop of his truck, and it makes Jason jerk the wheel; before he thinks to stomp his foot on the break, a head peaks down from the other side. Zack presses his face against the window, points to the door as he shouts something Jason can't quite make out. He rolls the window down, watches Zack slide in and kick the dashboard.

"You scared the shit outta me, Zack," Jason laughs, pulling the cigarette away from his mouth and resting his hand against the wheel. "I'm gonna kick your ass if there's a dent in my roof." He turns to the other boy, tapping the ash away with his thumb outside the window. Zack's smile stretches from either side of his face. It's one of those smiles that never fails to make you smile yourself.

"Didn't know you smoked, Scott." He simply says, and the contentment he radiates is infectious. "What're you doing all the way out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Jason can see that Zack is thinking over his words, and he waits. He takes in a lungful from his cigarette, breathes it out through his nose, and drives further into the nothingness.

"Felt something - a sadness or whatever. From beyond the canyon. Figured it might've been you Scott." Zack answers, watching the smoke leave Jason's nose, almost enthralled by it. He continues, a gentleness in his voice, "Ain't so hard to believe we're all connected in some way. Don't forget I live close." 

Billy at home with his mother, Kim at her own house with Trini - of course it was obvious it was Jason. And before he can mentally berate himself, Zack whispers, "I just wanted to see if you were okay." It makes Jason's eyebrow twitch, and he's taken aback by the tickle in his gut.

Jason focuses on the cigarette burning away between his fingers. Zack's worry for him warms him in its own way. He holds the cigarette between his lips, taking drags and slowing the car to a halt as the engine clicks into silence. 

"I got beer in the trunk." It's a questionless offer, and Zack nods, smiling at him.

There's an indigo light painted across the night sky, flecked with stars and dark clouds. The air is fresh, cold - and it makes Zack's lips dark and his nose red. It's endearing, attractive, Jason thinks, as he brings the bottle to his lips. Zack's cracked some cheesy joke as he kicks his legs out in the trunk, something about Alpha or whatever, but his boisterous laughter makes Jason relax. He'd argue it's the alcohol, the tobacco - but he's more self-aware, more in touch with himself than that. His eyes are on Zack's loose shirt, watching it dance in the wind. They're sat so close that occasionally their hands brush against one another; sometimes Jason flinches, sometimes his heart spikes.

Zack's hands are gentle - dirty, but gentle, smooth. His hair is messily combed over one side of his head, tickling his temple, and his sleeves are pulled up to the elbow; Jason admires the way the veins run along his forearm, admires the tightness of his muscle, admires the pale skin. Jason tips the beer back again, takes a long gulp, and watches his breath dissipate in the darkness when he exhales.

"So what's up?" Zack whispers, a mild but detectable hint of worry in his voice. It makes Jason sigh in defeat, hang his head. Zack's fingers brush against his hand again, but it feels deliberate this time; he stretches out his pinkie, rungs it along his knuckle soothingly, encouragingly, shyly. Jason watches for a moment, before reaching out with his own finger, caressing Zack's hand too.

"You ever felt like no one's ever gonna love you. Like you're gonna be alone forever," Jason rests his head against the window; he drinks the last of his beer, and lets the bottle roll down to the end of the trunk. He reaches into his pocket, fiddles with the packet of cigarettes when Zack answers.

"Yeah, I feel you..." He takes a swig from his own bottle. "It's just one of those things that happens when it happens. Sometimes it's sudden, other times it can make you wait. But you'll know when it happens, I guess." 

The words are tender, as is Zack's eyes. Aside from the flick of the lighter and the desert's wind, there is silence. Jason watches the tobacco burn at the end of the cigarette, and a burst of impulse runs through him as he takes a drag. He captures Zack's hand, gives it a squeeze, settles it onto his own thigh. 

"The same goes for you." Jason says around the cigarette, and Zack reaches for another beer with his other hand, leaning over him. 

Jason watches the muscles in his neck flex as he moves, it's strangely mesmerising. Zack pries the cap off the bottle, throws the beer to the back of his throat, and Jason wonders what his eyes are searching for in the darkness. There's an anxiousness bubbling in his own chest as he thinks about Zack, thinks about the sudden way he makes his heart thud, thinks about the inevitability of rejection. He couldn't think clearly, coherently, but neither was he thinking with his dick; it felt natural, sudden but real - something in his heart had told him so. This wasn't going to be some pity fling after having been rejected.

There's a conflict in Jason's eyes, Zack must see; he lifts his hand to his lips and kisses the skin there softly. It's enough to stop Jason from overthinking, to simply settle on what he feels. They hold each other's gaze, Zack's dark eyes starting into Jason's bright ones. Perhaps it isn't so one-sided as he had thought. As Jason puffs at the cigarette, Zack pours the beer into his mouth, lightly running a thumb over the skin where he had kissed. There's an energy between them - it buzzes, warms the tips of their fingers, tickles their toes, brings a warmth to the surface of the skin akin to their armour, unlike anything beer or tobacco can give them. Zack leans into him gently, eyes flickering from the lip Jason's caught between his teeth, to his eyes. An unspoken question. So Jason does what feels right.

He closes the space between them, capturing Zack's lips gently with his own; they're soft, tender, wet from the beer. Jason wonders if his stubble tickles his chin. They smell of tobacco and beer, but when Zack slips his tongue into his mouth, there's a taste that's purely _Zack_ ; it's indescribable, similar to his scent, but it's intoxicating, addictive. There's a hand that rests against his cheek, it's something delicate and sweet, and it makes Jason melt. He matches Zack's fervour by resting his hand on the back of his neck, pulling him in, deepening the kiss.

The cigarette continues to burn, and warm ash gathers on his knuckles; it reminds him to pull away, to open his eyes, to breathe. Zack tries to follow his lips, and he huffs impatiently as he nuzzles his nose against Jason's. Jason laughs, gently bumping his head into Zack's. 

"That was..." The words are lost on his tongue, his thoughts are incoherent, and Zack answers with a breathless laugh.

"Yeah..." He whispers, settling his head on Jason's shoulder. A comfortable silence falls, then. Jason takes a drag of his cigarette, but the nicotine is nothing compared to the adrenaline from kissing Zack. Jason's lips find his head, and a gentle laugh leaves Zack's throat. 

"Come back to my place..?" He whispers quietly then, almost vulnerably. Though he's hesitant, Jason wants to pursue... _this_ \- whatever they have together, whatever they are: it's different, unexpected but fantastically new, young but passionate, heartfelt. _Real_. As he climbs out of the trunk, Jason nods, smiling gently, earning a grin that's just as excited as he feels himself.

The late night air pours out from the open windows and runs through the truck; it's cold, fresh - it makes Jason feel alive, feels as though he's never breathed clearer, purer air before. It felt euphoric - even more so when Zack rests a cold hand on his thigh. With the flick of his fingers, the cigarette is thrown into the night; it burns its way useless, in the dark, as Jason takes Zack's hand into his own. He brings it up to his lips, an echo of what had happened in the trunk of the truck; Jason couldn't imagine a softer smile than Zack's in that moment, as his stubble tickled his knuckles and his lips warmed up that little spot of skin.

The truck pulls up outside of Jason's house, and he disappears inside to pack a bag and tell his parents he'll be spending the night elsewhere. Zack leans back into the seat, stretches his legs out beneath the dashboard; he smiles around a breath of fulfilment, and his fingers tingle as he tries to remember the details of Jason's lips. They felt perfect - they felt _right_ \- against his own; he glides a finger along his lips, tries ghosting the sensation.

**Author's Note:**

> it means a lot to hear your thoughts on my work and i always welcome critiques and ideas; it does wonders for my motivation. this is my first zack/jason fic so i hope it ain't too bad
> 
> i get that times are hard rn so i hope this series can help occupy you. if you need any help with school work or you need someone to talk to or listen, my tumblr is homodotus and my discord is homodotus#7659 - don't hesitate to throw me a message if you need the support, i'm always down to help in any way i can
> 
> stay safe lads,  
> \- dotus


End file.
